Privacy Policy

POLICIES and PROCEDURES

DW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and expects all staff, visitors and parents to share this commitment.

It is every dance school’s statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, as outlined by the DFE in its publication Keeping Children Safe in Education.

We must protect children from maltreatment, prevent impairment of children’s health or development, ensure that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provisions of safe and effective care and take action to enable this. Our safeguarding officer is Mrs Lorna Fernandes (Principal).

We ensure that all members of staff and visitors who meet the children and their families is clear on the role that they play in safeguarding children. We promote an ethos where children and parents feel comfortable sharing their concerns about their safety and wellbeing of others.

DW has a duty of care to safeguard all children from harm whilst involved in tuition, practice and performance DURING THE TIME THEY ARE IN CLASS UNDER SUPERVISION.

All staff members and volunteers wear DW lanyards and/or DW tops with ‘STAFF’ on. This allows the staff, children and parents to know who the adults are in the dance school, ensuring that everyone feels safe.

Photographs or recordings must not be taken whilst on site unless authorised by the dance school to do so.

 Staff/Visitors Procedures

• All visitors must sign in at reception.

• All visitors will be asked to remain under the supervision of a designated member of staff whilst on site.

• Visitors wishing to speak to a particular member of staff should telephone or email in advance.

• All visitors must sign out at the reception before leaving the site.

Child protection

DW fully recognises its responsibilities for child protection. Our policy applies to all teachers and staff working in the school. There are three main elements to our policy:

1. Ensuring we practice safe recruitment in checking the suitability of staff to work with children – this is achieved by running a DBS (formerly CRB) check against all new employees.

2. Raising awareness of child protection issues and equipping children with the skills needed to keep them safe.

3. Establishing a safe environment in which children can learn and develop.

The school will endeavor to:

– Establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to.

– Ensure children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried.

This policy applies to both children under 18 years and vulnerable adults.

Child protection is everybody’s responsibility and all people in the dance school community have a duty to act on any concern. If you are concerned about the safety of any child in our dance school, you must report this to the designated safeguarding leader. You must also report any concerns regarding staff or visitors to Lorna Fernandes. Our responsibility Is to: Recognise-Respond-Refer.

The DW Child Protection Policy is to follow good practice guidelines. These guidelines cover physical injury, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and staff are made aware of their responsibilities which include avoiding unnecessary physical contact and/or private or unobserved situations.

Included in our ‘Sign up’ forms is a disclaimer for all parents/guardians/carers to give their permission for photographs and/or video recordings to be taken from time to time by school staff or appointed professionals for promotional material for the school and social media. If any parent/guardian/carer objects to this, it is their responsibility to ensure that the principal is made aware.

DW staff are responsible for modelling good behaviour and having high expectations of all children with regard to their behaviour.

We do not tolerate bullying of any kind and It is expected that parents will support DW in encouraging their children to show respect and support DW authority when disciplining its pupils. Any incident of apparent bullying is investigated. DfE guidance defines bullying as “actions that are meant to be hurtful and which happen on a regular basis. Bullying can be direct or indirect.” All reports of bullying will be thoroughly investigated by staff and the Principal.

Equal Opportunities

DW actively promotes diversity and equal opportunity in all aspects of its work and seeks to prevent discrimination against any individual or group within DW, on the grounds of racial/ethnic heritages, religious or political belief, social- economic and marital status, physical attributes, disablement, gender, sexual orientation and age.

Any students that have special requirements, they are encouraged to inform us as soon as possible (usually on the application form). We rely on the parent/student to tell us what is needed. This will give us time to check that we can meet particular needs or, if not, make sure that suitable provision is in place by the time that students arrive. This policy embraces the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Health and Safety Policy

DW will keep the working environment clean, tidy and free from hazards. Our teachers endeavor to conduct dance classes in a safe and proper manner, encouraging good warm-up and cool-down practices and having adequate knowledge for advice where necessary.

First Aid

DW will comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.

First aid boxes are always available. The minimum legal provision of a suitably stocked first aid box will always be met. There will always be a First Aider accessible.

Fire Risk Assessment

Fire Risk Assessments have been completed for the premises. All employees are instructed on the action to be taken in the event of a fire or other emergency. All employees will be fully conversant with procedures for fire prevention, detection and evacuation.

Risk Assessments

A formal written risk assessments will be undertaken prior to commencement of any work, which is potentially harmful to health.

Data Protection Act

DW keeps records of pupils on a computer database with password protection for the purpose of efficiency and consistency of administration. They can be viewed by you at any time. We will not share any of your personal details without your permission, aside from where the law allows. This complies with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Emailing us

If you email us you may share with us certain information. This may include your email address and could also include your name, your child’s name, their date of birth and any other details you tell us within the message. Only key members of our staff can read these messages and we will only use the details you provide to enable us to fulfill your request (for example, giving you details about a suitable class).

Registering your child

If you register your child for our classes, we will collect personal information about you and your child. We store this information securely within the UK and only key members of staff have access to it. We use the information to provide our services to you, keep you informed, and help us tailor our services better to the needs of our customers. We DO NOT share your details with any third-party companies.

Cancellation of classes

Half a term's notice must be given or half a term's fees are to be paid.